Road Runners team up with Katz and nonprofit to help build new East Elmhurst playground

Ground officially broke on a brand new state-of-the-art playground in East Elmhurst.

The playground will be built on the I.S. 227 campus, bringing 38,000 residents within walking distance of a new park.

The project, which received $1.3 million in funding from Queens Borough President’s office, New York Road Runners, and supporters of The Trust for Public Land, is expected to finish in the fall of 2018.

“The new community playground in East Elmhurst will provide tens of thousands of Queens residents, including the Rising New York Road Runners at I.S. 227 with access to an amazing place to run and exercise, and we’re excited to be breaking ground just days before the 2018 NYRR Queens 10K on Saturday,” said Michael Capiraso, president and CEO at NYRR. “New York Road Runners is so fortunate to have a partner in The Trust for Public Land that shares our commitment and promise to enhance the communities of New York City’s five boroughs.”

This project is a part of the Trust for Public Land’s Playgrounds Program, which aims to bring fun and educational playgrounds to the city’s schoolkids. The program has designed and/or built 196 school and community playgrounds across the five boroughs.

Through the program, students a chance to help design playgrounds, giving them hands-on experience in the science, architecture and engineering side of the physical construction of the playground while learning the social aspects of deciding what to include in the playground.

Once completed, the playground will include a running track, turf field, volleyball court, basketball, trees, benches, handball court, gazebo, play equipment and a time capsule.

“To say that this is a monumental endowment to the school and the community at large would be a tremendous understatement. We are overwhelmed by Borough President Melinda Katz’s generosity and concern for our school and community,” said I.S. 227 Principal Helen Ponella. “Having the tired worn out space where unwanted cracks and puddles have formed from over three decades of wear and tear transformed into dedicated fields for athletic activities and quiet places for reflection where our young minds and bodies can blossom and where the neighborhood can flourish is a gift to our students and surrounding residents that will be utilized and appreciated for decades to come.”